SAP Basis Automation for Managed Services: SoftwareOne Relies on EPOS
How the SAP service provider uses our software
IT service provider SoftwareOne supports its SAP Basis managed services with the Empirius SAP Basis automation suite EPOS. The result: added value for SoftwareOne’s SAP customers—and multiple benefits for the IT service provider itself.
Numerous acquisitions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas have significantly expanded SoftwareOne’s SAP customer base. At the same time, its service portfolio as an SAP service provider has grown substantially. SoftwareOne offers comprehensive IT services ranging from planning and implementation to operations (Plan, Build, and Run). This includes SAP Basis services, which are part of its Technical Services portfolio.
These services are designed for SAP customers with a wide range of operating models—whether on-premises, outsourced to a hosting provider or managed service provider, or based on Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) from hyperscalers such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
For SoftwareOne, it is essential to rely on a range of high-quality SAP Basis tools. The company uses both in-house developments and solutions from specialized SAP Basis automation providers.
“Automation of tasks and activities is becoming increasingly important in SAP Basis. Our credo is: if something can be automated, it should be automated. This benefits not only our customers, but also ourselves.”
„“If something can be automated, it should be automated. This benefits not only our customers, but also ourselves.”"
As a long-standing user of Empirius’ BlueCopy software for automated SAP system copies, it was only logical for SoftwareOne to adopt the SAP Basis automation suite EPOS with its various apps at an early stage.
“We had very positive experiences with BlueCopy and Empirius. We also collaborated on joint development projects—for example, developing a solution called ‘BlueCopy for Azure’ together. As expected, we conducted a proof of concept for EPOS prior to implementation,” reports Thomas Brülhart, Director SAP Services DACH at SoftwareOne.
As Hans Haselbeck, CEO of Empirius, explains, “SoftwareOne’s decision to use EPOS is both a confirmation and a motivation for us.”
SoftwareOne continues to rely on the EPOS app BlueCopy to automate SAP system copies. Currently, all system copies for 16 global customers are handled with BlueCopy, with EPOS still being rolled out for additional customers.
Additional EPOS apps are also in use, including the solution for SAP kernel patching and the app for automated starting and stopping of SAP systems.
More recently, SoftwareOne has started using the EPOS SecNotes app, which significantly simplifies the management of SAP Security Notes. The Reporting app is also used extensively as part of extended SoftwareOne monitoring.
“With the EPOS Reporting app, we can quickly and precisely access information such as SAP system and application versions. For performance overviews like CPU utilization, we use dedicated monitoring tools, including internally developed ones,” explains the SoftwareOne team.
„With the EPOS Reporting app, we can quickly and precisely access information such as SAP system and application versions. […]"
Fully automated copying of complete SAP systems or individual clients.
Automates the replacement and deployment of SAP kernel patches.
Automatically starts, stops, and restarts SAP systems.
Automatically checks new SAP Security Notes, manages them centrally, and applies notes if required.
Provides targeted insights into SAP systems and databases at the push of a button.
SoftwareOne plans to analyze the resource savings achieved through EPOS automation software in detail. Initial experience already shows impressive results: for standard tasks and SAP system copies, resource savings of up to 70% have been achieved.
“This enables us to deliver our services with a high level of efficiency. In addition, we can pass on efficiency gains and expanded functionality to customers as service improvements—without necessarily increasing prices. In other words, customers receive more services for the same cost. Overall, the gains achieved with EPOS can be considered significant,” summarizes Sören Genzler.
70 %
Up to 70% savings achieved for standard tasks and SAP system copies.
„This enables us to deliver our services with a high level of efficiency. […] Customers receive more services for the same cost. Overall, the gains achieved with EPOS can be considered significant."
Thomas Brülhart highlights the many benefits of the automation solution:
“There are many advantages. One system administrator may support certain SAP customers, another different ones. But both are able to support these customers because they are familiar with a modern and powerful software solution for SAP system automation—whether it’s creating SAP system copies, recommending which security notes to apply, or quickly querying which SAP versions are in use.”
At SoftwareOne, creating a system copy for a small SAP HR/HCM system takes less than one hour. Without automation, this process would have taken approximately one full day.
Genzler and Brülhart jointly conclude:
“Overall, we are very happy with EPOS. What matters most to us is that, as an SAP service provider, we can deliver our services at reasonable cost and with optimized staffing.”
Hans Haselbeck of Empirius summarizes:
“The practical use of EPOS at SoftwareOne once again demonstrates the wide range of tangible benefits provided by our SAP Basis automation suite.”
„Overall, we are very happy with EPOS. What matters most to us is that, as an SAP service provider, we can deliver our services at reasonable cost and with optimized staffing."
The collaboration between SoftwareOne and Empirius clearly demonstrates how automation in SAP Basis operations not only increases efficiency, but also creates real value for both customers and service providers. With EPOS, SoftwareOne can deliver SAP services faster, more resource-efficiently, and with higher quality—remaining competitive in a dynamic IT market.
The decision to invest in SAP Basis automation is therefore not only a technological step, but above all a strategic one for the future.
EPOS is our central management and automation platform for SAP Basis and infrastructure. Users benefit from automated workflows, gain more time, flexibility, and security. Error margins are reduced and teams can focus on strategic tasks.
Create fully automated SAP system copies in hours instead of days, including all pre- and post-processing steps.
Request a live demo and explore how EPOS supports modern SAP operations.
Take a closer look at features, use cases, and automation capabilities with our experts.
